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Happy Friday the 13! Today we are going to look at the number 13.

In Christianity there were 13 apostles at the last supper. Traditionally the 13th to sit at the table was Judas Iscariot. He was the one who betrayed Jesus. It is also said by some Christians that Jesus received the magi on his 13th day of life. In Judaism 13 is the age that boys reach maturity. In the Torah God has 13 attributes of mercy. In Mesopotamian divination 13 is the number of important cycles of fortune and misfortune. The fear of the number 13 is known as Triskaidekaphobia. In Italy 13 is a lucky number. It was traditional for gallows to have 13 steps leading up to them. The sacred cord of the druids has 13 segments. The first to arise from a table where 13 are seated is said to die within a year. Supposedly the soul is suppose to weigh 13 ounces. in ancient South America the Mayans had 13 heavens and the Aztecs divided their calendar into 13 periods. In Greece the 13th deity was Zeus. In Norse mythology Loki was the 13th guest at a party that he arrived at uninvited. It is said that he persuaded the god of darkness into killing the god of happiness.